Outdoor Living
Outdoor Kitchens and Outdoor Living in Mississippi
Outdoor kitchens, covered patios, pavilions, pergolas and fire features across central Mississippi. One crew and one schedule, with or without a pool.
The build
Outdoor kitchens built for Mississippi weather
An outdoor kitchen in central Mississippi lives through summer heat, heavy humidity, sideways storm rain, thick pollen and a hard freeze most winters. Cabinets that last for years in a dry climate fall apart here in a few seasons.
So the build starts with materials that hold up to all of that. Brick or masonry structure instead of wood framing that soaks up moisture. Stainless doors and drawers made for outdoor use. Counters sealed against standing water and sloped so they shed after a storm.
DC Pools & Spas is the pool and outdoor living side of Dickerson Contracting, the same company behind Dickerson roofing. The crew that installs our Latham fiberglass pools also builds outdoor kitchens, covered patios, pergolas, pavilions and fire features.
Call 601-724-4647 or request a free quote to set up a site visit.
We built the Dickerson name on word of mouth. The pool division runs on the same habits: expectations set up front, no over-promising, and a quote that matches the bill.
Credentials
Licensed through the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, license 25203-MC. BBB accredited with an A+ rating since 2018. Home Builders Association and Rankin County Chamber members.
With or without water
An outdoor kitchen with a pool, or a kitchen alone
An outdoor kitchen often sits beside a new Latham fiberglass pool. The grill faces the water. The cover shades the deck. One crew runs the dig, the utilities, the slab and the kitchen on one schedule, so the pool deck and the kitchen pad land at heights that work together.
Just as often the job is a kitchen, a cover and a patio with no pool at all. That is a full project for us, not a side job. If a pool comes later, we plan the kitchen so it will not be in the way.
If you already have a pool, we look at the existing deck first. Settlement, drainage and slab condition decide where a new kitchen can sit and how it ties in.
One project
An outdoor kitchen build, start to finish
One backyard, one crew. The cover goes up first, then the brick kitchen is built under it and the appliances are set.
Four decisions
What goes into an outdoor kitchen
Four decisions drive every outdoor kitchen we build. We settle them in this order, because each one limits the next.
1 · Layout
A straight run on a wall, an L in a corner, or an island with seating. Where gas, water and power can reach decides a lot, so we look at utilities before we sketch.
2 · Appliances
A built-in grill is the anchor. The rest follows how you cook: side burner, smoker, refrigeration, a sink or not. Gas lines run while the ground is open.
3 · Storage and landing space
Hot pans need a place to land. Trays need a clear path from the back door. Trash needs a spot away from the crowd. These details decide whether the kitchen gets used.
4 · Finish materials
Brick, stone, stucco or tile on the structure, and a counter that can take a hot pan in August. We tell you which finishes hold up here and which ones chalk and fade.
Water and movement
Why outdoor kitchens fail early here
Most early failures come from water and movement. Wood cores soak up humidity. Fasteners rust. Freezes crack cavities that hold water. Clay soil lifts slabs poured without base work. We build against each one.
- Structure that sheds water and vents the cavities that need air
- Metals and masonry rated for outdoor exposure, not indoor grades
- Counter seams and slopes that do not hold puddles after a storm
- Appliance clearances set to the manufacturer install specs
- Gas, water and power planned once, sized for the whole kitchen
None of this calls for luxury pricing. It calls for the right order. Cutting corners on structure to pay for a fancier grill means replacing the structure while the grill is still new.
Shade and cover
Covered patios that make the outdoor kitchen usable
A kitchen you cannot stand in during July is a kitchen you will not use. A solid cover tied into the house fixes that. It keeps the cook dry when afternoon storms roll through and keeps sun off the appliances.
Where the cover meets the house, we flash and detail the connection so water does not find a new way into the wall. That is roofing work, and it is the same company that does it.
Outdoor living
Pergolas, pavilions and fire features
A pergola gives filtered shade over a dining table or a walkway. A pavilion gives a full roof out in the yard, away from the house, often over a deck or a slab with a kitchen under it.
Fire features cover the other half of the year. A built-in fire pit or an outdoor fireplace makes the space usable on cold nights and stretches the season at both ends. Built in masonry to match the kitchen, it all reads as one space.
Plan the lighting with the electrical. Path lights, step lights and good task light over the grill change how many nights you stay outside, and the wiring is easiest to run before the slab and the finishes go in.
Structures
Pavilions, decks and patio covers we have built
Freestanding or attached, wood or metal roof, on a deck or on a slab.
The ground first
Concrete patios poured on a proper base
The slab under an outdoor kitchen matters more than the fixtures on top. Central Mississippi clay swells when it is wet and shrinks when it is dry. Base work, reinforcement and control joints are not the place to save money.
We set elevations against the house, the downspouts and the yard before we pour, so water runs away from the kitchen and the back door. Gas, water and power runs go in before the concrete does.
Lyon Financial
Financing an outdoor kitchen project
DC Pools & Spas works with Lyon Financial. For qualified homeowners, financing can often include an outdoor kitchen, cover or patio when it is written into the same project quote as the pool.
Ask about it when we price the job, so the quote and the financing match. See pool financing for how it works.
The process
How an outdoor kitchen project runs
It starts with a site visit, because the answer depends on what is already there. Where gas, water and power are. How the yard drains. Whether HOA rules limit roof height, cover type or materials.
You get one written, itemized quote after that visit, broken out by structure, appliances, surfaces and utilities. You can see what each choice costs and cut scope with your eyes open.
Then the work runs in the order the site needs: utilities and drainage, base and slab, structure and cover, then the kitchen build and appliance set. Inspections are part of the plan when the job requires them.
Bring any survey, HOA guidelines or appliance models you already like to the visit. Better inputs make a cleaner plan.
Who builds it
Licensed outdoor kitchen builder in central Mississippi
Dickerson Contracting is licensed through the Mississippi State Board of Contractors, license 25203-MC, and is 5 star rated across 100+ Google reviews. The shop is in Flowood, and we build outdoor kitchens across central Mississippi, including Brandon, Flowood, Jackson, Madison, Pearl, Ridgeland, Clinton and Vicksburg.
The range is the point. The company that flashes a roof knows how to keep water out of a cover. The crew that sets a pool shell knows how a deck and a kitchen have to meet it. See DC Pools & Spas for the pool side and roofing for the rest.
To start, request a free quote or call 601-724-4647. Tell us if the project is a kitchen only, a kitchen with a cover, or a full backyard with a pool.
More from the same crew
Areas we serve
Common questions
Do you build outdoor kitchens without a pool?
Yes. A kitchen, a cover and a patio with no pool at all is a full project on its own.
Is DC Pools & Spas the same company as Dickerson Contracting?
Yes. DC Pools & Spas is the pool and outdoor living side of Dickerson Contracting, the same company that does Dickerson roofing.
What does an outdoor kitchen cost?
It depends more on utilities and site conditions than on appliances. A run on a wall where gas and power already reach is a different job from an island out in the yard. We quote in writing after a site visit, itemized by part.
What materials hold up in this climate?
Brick or masonry structure, stainless rated for outdoor use, and a sealed counter. Humidity and the winter freeze ruin outdoor kitchens here more often than use does.
Can you build a cover, pergola or pavilion over the kitchen?
Yes, and we usually recommend it. A kitchen with no shade sits unused all summer. A pergola gives filtered light. A solid cover or pavilion keeps the rain off.
Can an outdoor kitchen be financed with a pool?
Often, for qualified homeowners. Lyon Financial can often include an outdoor kitchen or other add-ons when they are written into the same project quote.
Can you add a kitchen to my existing pool deck?
Often, yes. We check elevations, drainage and slab condition on a site visit first, so the kitchen ties in cleanly and does not fight the deck.
Where do you build outdoor kitchens?
Across central Mississippi from our shop in Flowood, including Brandon, Jackson, Madison, Pearl, Ridgeland, Clinton and Vicksburg. Call 601-724-4647 if you are not sure your address is in range.
Don't know where to start?
Call the office, or tell us about the job online and get one written quote.